Paso Robles settles excessive force lawsuit

January 19, 2013

Paso Robles city officials agreed to award a woman who suffered burns to her arms during a 2010 shop-lifting arrest $50,000.

In the lawsuit filed in July, Rodi Bragg accused the city administration and the police department of having inadequate use of force polices.

In the summer of 2010, Bragg tried to pull away from Officer Jeffry Bromby who was attempting to arrest her for shoplifting from the Scolari’s grocery store.

Bromby violently yanked her back and said: “You know what? You’re gonna go down again.” Then, without any apparent provocation, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and threw her to the ground. It was 93 degrees in Paso Robles.

Paso Robles City Manager Jim App said the settlement is not an admission of guilt.

“A settlement agreement was reached in the Monterroso-Bragg case because it was determined to be in the interest of both parties,” Paso Robles City Manager Jim App said in a statement. “The city, its insurance carrier and attorney evaluate a variety of factors when deciding to resolve a case through a settlement agreement. The time and cost of litigation, including depositions and trial, is certainly a factor.”

11 Comments

It remains either mind-boggling or just plain silly concerning comments about “relatiion to Armstrong” or “picturing the PBG -App in biker shorts” (almost threw up breakfast on that one).

The one and only real question is :
Why does the City Council, App and gang do what they do?

And the one and only answer to that is :
Because they can and they know they can with an almost absolute guarantee that there will be no serious repercussions. This is called Power and the use and abuse of it. The last election was proof that they have it and will use it. Look for more – because it will come.

This should not be a surprise to anyone. After all that has went wrong in this city for the past 12-15 months (or longer), then to have the election go the way it went – why should any sane person not expect exactly this? The city council (ran and controlled by Jim “Phat Bald Guy” App) knows full well they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and however they want – with very little possibility of repercussions.

If you think this payoff was OK, the Chitty payoff was OK, the disabled new-sidewalks payoff was OK, just wait – there will be more. 10 to 1 odds that there will be payoffs for the lawsuits pending concerning ticket quotas or sexual harassement by police officers. It is not their money, so why should they care how it is spent – as long as the real, true story does not come out.

And if you want to know, or care to know, why they can do whatever they want – just look into a mirror -there is the answer. And get about 3,000 other voters in this city to also look into a mirror. What they see in that mirror is exactly why these things occur. Wise up, if you really want change, then you have to make it happen.

The decision to settle does not even belong to App or the City Attorney entirely. The City is covered by insurance just like your car or your house. Just because the settlement was $50,000 does not mean that the City itself is responsible for all of that money. The insurance, JPA, will pick it up. That is why they settle: cheaper than litigation. I am fairly sure you would be shocked at the amount of lawsuits that come in against the city that you never ever hear about. “I tripped over a small dent in the road”= $20,000. I tripped over a loose brick=$35,000, and on and on. This is America. Why work when you can threaten lawsuit and take home several thousand?

Please show us proof that JPA will pick up “that money”. I would not be shocked at any amount of lawsuits against a city or even Paso Robles. I deal with insurance and lawsuits daily. Lawsuits are common. Settling them and trying to convince the people that it was in their best interest to do so is also common…for Jim App.

“A settlement agreement was reached in the Monterroso-Bragg case because it was determined to be in the interest of both parties,” Paso Robles City Manager Jim App said in a statement. “The city, its insurance carrier and attorney evaluate a variety of factors when deciding to resolve a case through a settlement agreement. The time and cost of litigation, including depositions and trial, is certainly a factor.”
This sounds eerily similar to the way App handled the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang buy-out.